donate goods
Changing lives and creating healthy homes
Your in-kind donations help us create a safe, comfortable community for women experiencing homelessness across Los Angeles. Click a button below to learn more!
covid-19 safety updates
Due to COVID-19, we are are accepting a limited list of donations. Please review our current needs below.
When preparing your donation, please also note that we cannot accept unscheduled deliveries!
Donation appointments are made available 25 days in advance. If you don’t see any current openings, please check back in the morning, when new appointments are made available. You can also continue to check back in case of cancellations.
CURRENT NEEDS
At this time, we are not in need of more PPE, hand sanitizer, face masks, or toothpaste. Thanks to generous supporters, we have plenty of these items in stock!
The highest needs of DWC participants include:
- Large shirts (M-6XL), leggings (M-6XL) shoes (9-13), sports bras (S-6XL), panties (5-13), pull-ups, tents, backpacks/duffle bags, suitcases, blankets, sunscreen, umbrellas/ponchos, and push carts.
- When preparing a clothing donation, please note the following:
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- All clothing must be freshly laundered within 2 weeks of donating, as many of the women put them on directly.
- Please sort clothing by type (e.g. shirts, shorts, pants, etc.) to help our staff distribute them more efficiently.
- Please do not include worn-down shoes.
- We are only able to accept a maximum of 5 large trash bags of clothing per donation at this time.
- You must schedule your donation prior to drop-off. Click here to schedule a contactless delivery. *At this time, we are unable to accept unscheduled deliveries.
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- Items on our online wish list, which most accurately reflects the current needs of the women we serve. These items will be shipped directly to DWC.
- Highly-requested items such as large clothing, shoes, leggings, and tents. Many of these items can be found on our online wish list.
- Brand new and gently used household items such as rugs, home appliances, lamps, dishware, pots, pans, cooking utensils, and freshly laundered towels in some sort of packaging to keep them clean. Please make sure appliances are fully functional before donating. Please make sure no items have expired.
- Help from Home Kits such as Snack Packs, Toiletry Kits, and Clean Home Kits.
- Contact us at GroupVolunteerEvents@DowntownWomensCenter.org if you and/or your group would like to donate Snack Packs or pre-made meals.
- Click here for Toiletry Kit and Clean Home Kit Assembly instructions.
- When your kits are ready, click here to schedule a contactless delivery. *Please note that we will not accept unscheduled donation drop-offs.
- Gift cards to DTLA stores like Food 4 Less, CVS, Ralph’s, and Target, which allow women overcoming homelessness to shop for the items they need most.
Gift cards can be shipped directly to:
Downtown Women’s Center
Attn: Development
442 South San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
DONATION DRIVES
If you are interested in organizing a donation drive, promotion, or fundraiser to benefit the Downtown Women’s Center, please contact Events@DowntownWomensCenter.org or fill out our fundraiser form.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
DWC’s highest needs are always changing, based on the feedback of the women we serve and our current inventory of donated goods. For the most up to date list of items, please look at the list above. You can also contact Donate@downtownwomenscenter.org with any inquiries.
You can also purchase items on our online wish list. These items are our top priority, and give a great opportunity to support DWC from afar!
All donations drop-offs must be scheduled. You can schedule a drop-off here. Donation drop-offs can be scheduled Monday through Thursday from 12pm-2pm and Friday from 8am-12pm.
We are located at 442 S. San Pedro Street Los Angeles, CA 90013. When you arrive to drop off your donation, the green gate will be closed. If you pull up to the gate, the security guard will open it for you. Pull into the lot and our donation team will meet you to unload your donation.
You can get a receipt during the donation drop-off by asking one of our on-site staff members. If you forget to get a receipt on-site, please email Donate@DowntownWomensCenter.
You will receive a receipt in 5-7 business days.
If you purchased something off of our Amazon Wishlist, we do not have records of your order. You can go to the Your Orders section on your Amazon account to find a record of your purchase.
We can accept up to 5 garbage bags of clothing and up to 200 toiletry kits at a time. If you are organizing a donation drive, please contact us at Events@DowntownWomensCenter.
Unfortunately, we have limited staff on-site who have their hands full running the programs and services for the women we serve. We are unable to pick up donated items.
Yes, you can ship a donation to DWC. Please contact us ahead of time to confirm we are in need of the item(s) you want to donate and to make sure we can receive the quantity you plan on donating. You can email us at Donate@DowntownWomensCenter.org.
We are not in need of items for babies or children, as we serve exclusively adult women.
We do accept adult menswear. The women we serve have a variety of style preferences, including masculine.
We accept gently-worn and new shoes of all sizes. Please do not donate run-down shoes, as the women we serve need sturdy, reliable shoes that will last a long time. We do not accept shoes with a very high heel.
We do accept donated books and welcome more books in Spanish.
On some occasions, we may need furniture donations. Please contact Donate@DowntownWomensCenter.
We are not in need of makeup at this time.
Yes! We welcome unused cleaning supplies and/or Clean Home Kits for our 119 residents. You can assemble Clean Home Kits by following the instructions here and scheduling a donation drop-off here. For any questions, please contact Mitzuy Ley at MitzuyL@DowntownWomensCenter.
Yes! We accept menstrual items such as pads and pull up diapers. We never accept tampons or menstrual cups.
Thank you for wanting to support the Downtown Women’s Center in this way! Please complete our fundraiser form and/or contact Events@DowntownWomensCenter.
VEHICLES
You can donate just about any motor vehicle and receive a tax deduction for your donation. Complete and submit the following form, or call toll-free (855) 392-1227 (855-DWC-1-CAR) to arrange a convenient pick-up time. We’ll pick up your vehicle, give you a receipt, and take care of the rest!